Underrated, or Unappreciated...The Final Straw

Pop culture meditations from Jared Bentley

Underrated, or Unappreciated...The Final Straw

Published Monday, June 29 2009 - (0) Comments

This is the third, and most probably the last, edition of my underrated or unappreciated list of films from recent years. Or rather, my list of underrated or unappreciated films - I don't mean to imply that my lists are underrated (Which they are, though...) or unappreciated (They most definitely are that... although that may be deserved.).

This list, in its previous incarnations, has several choices that I think would make any film connoisseur or couch potato happy to watch. "Safe Men" is a definite crowd pleaser, and "Devil in a Blue Dress" and "13th Warrior" have star power and story to match. "Ravenous" will leave you hungry for more, hurumph, hurumph, and you won't find a better Bruce Willis turn than "Tears of the Sun". The others are a treat as well.

You may think that you had seen the last of the list, and you may be glad that it was most plausibly over. Now, however, I have the final additions to the list, as far you all know, and I warn you that these films may be a little more violent than the others.

It's not that I am a big fan of movie violence - I actually despise the glorification or glamorization of violence, especially when the violent acts or depictions are not germane to the story at hand. I am not a big fan of overly explicit sex, death, beasts, blood, or gore, but when it is done well and seems to be inherent to the plot, I say so be it. That's where these films fit in.

1. "Road to Perdition"

This Sam Mendes film had a cast to die for, with Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law, Daniel Craig, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and the wonderful Ciaran Hinds all putting in first-rate performances. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, so you know that most critics loved it - but there was a strong contingent that blasted the film, and it didn't do business at the box office like it should have.

I think it is a wonderful movie, and Mendes was able to grab great work from all of the fine actors involved. One of the things I liked most about this film was the period feel, and its striking similarity to "Once Upon a Time in America", the great Sergio Leone gangster movie. Good stuff - check it out.

2. "Apocalypto"

When it comes to directing violence onscreen, no one does it better or more uncomfortably than Mel Gibson. Gibson has shown with his work here and with "Braveheart" that he can create a great period epic, and bring it with a punch, slice, jab, break, or bludgeon. This is a beautifully filmed motion picture, and I wish more people saw it and appreciated the work that must have gone into creating it. See it soon.

3. "Hard Eight"

This film doesn't have a lot of stylized violence, but it is a bit rough at times. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the film gets stand-up performances from Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow and Samuel L. Jackson, as well as memorable shots from Anderson regulars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Melora Walters.

A great morality tale centered on gambling, gangsters, guns, and "the life". This was a tough first movie for this extremely talented director, leading Anderson to direct such classics as "Boogie Nights", "Magnolia", and "There Will Be Blood".

4. Hard-Edged British Gangster Films That I Think All Fans of the Genre Should See:

"Layer Cake" and "Gangster No. 1" are really, really good movies from opposite ends of the British gangster spectrum. Daniel Craig shows glimpses of Bond in "Layer Cake", a stylized and hip movie that gets going early and keeps a brisk pace throughout. Paul Bettany and Malcolm McDowell both turn in menacing performances in "Gangster No. 1", and it is not the hip and stylized gangster film you might expect from the Brits - it is violent, raw, and very, very harsh.

"Layer Cake"

"Gangster No. 1"

Other British gangster movies worth watching include the sometimes ridiculous but always amusing "24 Hours in London", as well as the classic telling of the British brothers in crime "The Krays".

While not British, the Australian crime film "Chopper" falls into this same category, in my opinion, so I will add it here as well. Eric Bana plays Mark "Chopper" Read, Australia's most vicious and well-known criminal, and does a bang-up job with it. If you have ever seen an interview with Read, you know that Bana has him down pat. Funny at times, vicious at times, hard to watch at times. But always entertaining.

So, there you have it, another list of films to spend a little time with. I hope you do, and I hope you like what you see. These films are a bit disturbing, but if you don't let that bother you, you should like them. As I always say, "Good stuff - check them out."

Until next time - enjoy watching movies. Especially the ones on my list. I won't steer you wrong. Unless you hate these films. Then I guess I did.

And I apologize.

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